Microsoft Patents GPS Feature That Steers You Away From Slums

Anyone who lets their GPS do the thinking for them has ended up on some uncomfortable treks through frightening backstreets and rough areas that you’d rather avoid. Microsoft has patented a feature that will teach a GPS advice to help pedestrians stick to presumably safer streets, as well as “an open area subject to harsh temperatures.”

CBS Seattle reports the tech, meant for cell phones, will take crime and weather statistics into account when it’s plotting out its routes.

Somewhat ominously, there’s also part of the patent that says the feature “performs a reward operation in relation to information obtainment or direction set production, wherein the reward operation rewards the pedestrian, an advertisement hosting service, a provider, or any combination thereof.”

Hopefully the patent doesn’t lead to GPS routes that steer you toward businesses under the guise of keeping you safer.

I did read the first line of the article as:
“Anyone who lets their GPS do the thinking for them has ended up on some uncomfortable treks through frightening bLackstreets and rough areas that you’d rather avoid.”

I AM mostly white, but the neighborhoods I avoid are mostly white too. I feel just fine driving with my window open down the street where the Black Chronicle is printed, one of my favorite stores is a little wig & makeup shop right in the middle of so-called “black town” up here in OKC, but I won’t go anywhere near the white-trash ghettoes where drug addicts wander the streets & you can’t stop at a stop sign without being swarmed by drunk hobos demanding money.

I needed this last night when Google Maps navigator wanted to send me through MLK blvd and Montopolis to get home around midnight. Anyone who lives in Austin knows you dont drive through there after dark.

Not entirely true. The MLK drive in Philadelphia is actually really nice. It goes right along the river with a nice park and is a great alternate route to I-76 (along with Kelly Drive). It used to be called “West River Drive” until a few years ago, most people still call it.

I’ve only lived in Austin a year and a half and I know to stay well away from those parts at night. Odd that Google Navigation would send you through there though. It’s usually pretty bent on sending you on freeways whenever possible.

I agree. And I’m a little curious as to how the parameters are going to be defined based on people’s perception. I know wee country bumpkins who would probably feel extremely nervous walking down some streets but they’re not dangerous streets, they’re just a bit run down and there are homeless people.

All joking aside I would be happy if my GPS didn’t try to route me through Southeast DC surface streets. Not that there is any real chance of anything bad happening but those streets are in awful condition.

Things like this are inevitable. It does make some sense. Currently most GPS devices give you the choice of “Quickest” or “Shortest” route. A “Statistically Safest Route” seems like an option people might like as well, or a “Driest” route if there is bad weather. Of course, based on the second part of that patent, soon I expect we will see the “Daily Discovery Route.” Which of course is the route that includes businesses that have paid to have travel routed by them that day. Sync those routes up with a Groupon like coupon system and you have a great opportunity for businesses. No only are people funneled by your business that day, but they are being given coupons as they pass by encouraging them to stop. I’m really just surprised it has taken so long for a company to begin offering business sponsored GPS results.

I would love to see a GPS that provides “Most Consistent” route. Living around Washington DC, I can get to my destination in 20 minutes one day and 2 hours the next day for no apparent reason which makes it difficult to agree to meet at a specific time. It would be great if GPS makers could give you the shortest, fastest and most consistent routes. The Most consistent might take 45 minutes, but day after day it will consistently take 45 minutes making it easier to plan.

That’s a lot like where I live. My block is marginal but is surrounded by very bad blocks. Ghetto vs. non-ghetto areas are like a patchwork, where it would be virtually impossible to avoid bad areas and still be able to get anywhere.

Maybe it’s the nature of the area where I live. There is a tremendous Korean population and the English portion of their business signage often says things like “oriental market” or “oriental videos”. I didn’t think anything of it.

Did I miss a PC memo or something? Am I supposed to use “Asian”? What, then do I call Indians? Asio-Indians? How about Russians? Asio-Russians? Don’t forget the Asio-Arabians, etc, etc. Now I’m really confused. I always thought Asia was a really big place with numerous ethnicities, but it sounds like there is only one.

“Oriental” is for things like vases, “Asian” (or the specific ethnicity) is for people. You can call a Russian person Russian, you don’t have to make up a hyphenated name for them. Indians can be called Asian Indians if you want to get specific. There’s no need to try and pretend that you’re concerned over the proper names to use for groups of people when you called Asians “orientals”.

This is turkey droppings slums are well known in most cities and when visiting some of the sports complexes are in these areas (cheap land and or revitalization ) So to be able to avoid these places is really hard in a new city. and a lot of places are slums waiting to happen..
So to me this is wishful thinking on the part of Microsoft and just another patent to use to sue another company that prefects this type of GPS signature in cities.

As I don’t drive, this is what I need. The LA transit system likes to give the “closest” stop, and walk to their destination, ignoring the fact that the pedestrian now needs to CROSS an LA freeway to get there. Stupid metro.

Honestly, I’d like to have a system that told me if the route to walk has sidewalks.

Thanks to Google GPS we got lost and drove through a ghetto cul-de-sac where a bunch of people are gathered for some “party” (I presume). Either that or the party has started going bad. Lucky there were a couple cop cars on the scene starting to break things up.